Shortlist for Severn energy plans
January 26, 2009
A shortlist of proposed schemes to harness renewable energy from the tides of the Severn estuary will be announced by the UK Government later.
Five projects will be selected from 10 examined over the last six months.
Among these is a 10 mile long barrage proposal from Lavernock Point, Vale of Glamorgan to Somerset which has come under fire from environmental groups.
Others schemes include tidal fences, reefs and lagoons, which would be less harmful to wildlife, say backers.
The shortlist, which will be unveiled by Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband, will be put out to public consultation before a final shortlist is confirmed.
The preferred project is due to be selected in 2010.
The Severn, which has the second-largest tidal range in the world with 42ft high tides, could significantly contribute to meeting the government's renewable energy targets.
But conservationists fear some of the plans for the estuary could be hugely damaging to wildlife.
Environmental campaigners also say barrage electricity would be more expensive than renewable alternatives.
The long list, published last summer, included the well-studied 10-mile barrage plan, which could generate up to 5% of the UK's electricity within 14 years at a cost of an estimated £15bn.
It also included an even larger "outer barrage" from Minehead, Somerset, to Aberthaw and the shorter Shoots barrage further up the estuary, as well as plans for tidal lagoons and a scheme which would feature a wave farm and four marinas.
The barrage proposals in particular have attracted controversy, as interference with the tide could wipe out 11,000 to 15,000 hectares of wetland habitat in the estuary which provides food for 65,000 birds in winter.
Some of the schemes could also have an impact on fish, affecting fishing in the Severn and tributaries, and on shipping to ports in the estuary.
A study for the RSPB suggested that another option on the list, a 12-mile "reef" which would not hold back the full height of the tide but would use floating turbines to generate power, could be cheaper and less damaging to wildlife than a barrage.
Friends of the Earth have backed building tidal lagoons and other small-scale options as a less destructive option to provide clean energy.
The two-year multi-million pound feasibility study by the Government aims to assess the costs, benefits and impacts of a tidal scheme in the Severn and identify a single preferred project from the options that have been proposed.
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